It is said there is no rest for the weary. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are living that axiom after getting all they could handle from the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

However, after playing all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career — in his 15th season — James noted the physical toll the hard-fought, seven-game series took.

"This was a tough series,” James said. “Indiana played us as tough as anybody has played us all year. They’ve just got a really good team."

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After the Cavaliers' Game 7 victory against the Pacers, LeBron James and Victor Oladipo touched on the respect they have for each other.
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Before the game, ABC cameras caught James telling agent Rich Paul that he planned to play the entire game if necessary. It didn't happen, but not for lack of trying. James played the first 35 minutes before heading to the locker room briefly with leg cramps. James said he declined IV fluids suggested by trainers.

Cleveland was clinging to a 75-73 lead when James left the game late in the third quarter, but Indiana failed to take advantage of his absence during a key stretch of the game.

James returned to the floor with 8:25 left in the fourth and Cleveland ahead 86-79. The Cavs did not trail the rest of the way, and James scored seven points down the stretch to help secure the win.

"He did what he always does. It’s not really shocking," Pacers guard Victor Oladipo said. "He’s the best in the world, and that’s what the best does and now I gotta work to get on that level.”